Davis was always more than a simple Repealer; his mind took in too great a range, his knowledge was too wide, his commonsense too great, to see in Repeal of the Union the ultimate end of Irish political endeavour.
"The Evolution of Sinn Fein"
Robert Mitchell Henry
In selecting or in agitating about Members we must therefore never forget that a Federalist is quite as likely to be national as a technical Repealer, and that if his morals and ability be better than those of a so-called Repeal candidate, he is the better man.
"Thomas Davis, Selections from his Prose and Poetry"
Thomas Davis Commentator: T. W. Rolleston
In those days people talked of a "Repealer" as the most practical of all politicians, the kind of politician that carries a club.
"Eugenics and Other Evils"
G. K. Chesterton